Qlik struck a new path with the development of a new product called Qlik Sense. Unlike QlikView, the new technology focuses on bringing self-service BI capabilities to business users, empowering them to create their very own data analytics, to their requirements, at their own pace. The self-service BI model differs significantly from traditional BI tools in the way that it incorporates the end user into the development process and, as such, needs to be approached in its own way.
The self-service model has its own goals, aims, and dynamics. Its four main focus points are simple and customizable end-user interfaces, easy access to source data, easy-to-use BI tools, and quick-to-deploy and easy-to-manage architecture. It sets up a business-friendly environment where the users themselves enjoy the freedom of doing development in their own way. While self-service offers lots of functionality, not all users are either able or willing to leverage all of it.
Some users have a high interest in self-service while others are more interested in getting an answer in a digested and timely fashion. The different user groups can be summarized and ordered by level of sophistication into IT, power users, users, and consumers. Identifying those groups plays an important aspect in designing the architecture for a self-service environment with Qlik Sense. Especially power users are not only the most active users but they also need to be won over as advocates for the technology: they build the dashboards and promote them and the technology to the business without much input from IT. This can make Qlik Sense as a BI solution very cost-effective. This, sped-up development time, empowerment of users, the IKEA effect, and mobile capabilities are all great benefits of Qlik Sense which allow organizations to become more data-driven to be able to make better, timely, and informed decisions for their business. The challenges and risks are predominantly the lack of governance that comes along with the self-service aspect of Qlik Sense, including the required investment into training, and also that, while easy to install, reliable data sources need to be in place in order to extract the most value from Qlik Sense.
Without meaningful data, data analytics will not be much of a value-add to the business. It is, therefore, important to take into account various organizational considerations before deciding to deploy Qlik Sense. Recommendations are summarized in this chapter, with the top three being: don’t assume Qlik Sense can be deployed in the same way as QlikView; introduce governance but not a governance dictatorship, and promote collaboration to create a data-driven culture with advocates of Qlik Sense.
